Origin of bother

1710–20; orig. Hiberno-English; probably by hypercorrection from bodder, an alternate early form; origin obscure

synonym study for bother

1. Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one's comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to pester, as by long-continued whining and begging.

OTHER WORDS FROM bother

un·both·ered, adjective un·both·er·ing, adjective

Words nearby bother

both feet on the ground, with, both ways, botha, botham, bothe, bother, bother, bothered, botheration, bothersome, bothnia, bothriocephalus

Definition for bother (2 of 2)

both
[ bohth ]
/ boʊθ /

adjective

one and the other; two together: He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.

pronoun

the one as well as the other: Both of us were going to the party.

conjunction

alike; equally: He is both ready and willing.

Origin of both

1125–75; Middle English bothe, bathe, influenced by Scandinavian (compare Old Norse bāthir both; cognate with German, Dutch beide, Gothic ba tho skipa both (the) ships, Old High German bêde < *bai thai); replacing Middle English bo, ba, Old English bā; cognate with Gothic bai; akin to Latin ambō, Greek ámphō, Lithuanian abù, Sanskrit ubháu

Words related to bother

aggravation, hinder, dismay, disturb, aggravate, perplex, bore, perturb, alarm, upset, irritate, hurt, torment, irk, plague, exacerbate, disgust, embarrass, trouble, scare

Example sentences from the Web for bother

British Dictionary definitions for bother (1 of 2)

bother
/ (ˈbɒðə) /

verb

noun

interjection

mainly British an exclamation of slight annoyance

Word Origin for bother

C18: perhaps from Irish Gaelic bodhar deaf, vexed; compare Irish Gaelic buairim I vex

British Dictionary definitions for bother (2 of 2)

both
/ (bəʊθ) /

determiner

  1. the two; two considered togetherboth dogs were dirty
  2. (as pronoun)both are to blame

conjunction

(coordinating) used preceding words, phrases, or clauses joined by and, used to emphasize that not just one, but also the other of the joined elements is included both Ellen and Keith enjoyed the play; both new and exciting

Word Origin for both

C12: from Old Norse bāthir; related to Old High German bēde, Latin ambō, Greek amphō

Idioms and Phrases with bother

both